Circulating system



Dec. 4, 1934. c L, MARTIN 1,983,043

CIRCULATING SYSTEM Filed Jan. 11, 1934 Patented Dec. 4, 1934 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in circulating systems, andwhile particularly adapted for oil supplied to oil burners, is equallyapplicable to heating water or other liquids, the object being toprovide a system whereby the liquid not used will return for reheating,and the invention consists in the construction as hereinafter describedand particularly recited in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a broken side View illustrating my improved circulatingsystem;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a. sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the housing, detached.

In illustrating the invention as applied to a circulating system for oilburners, I employ a tank 10 of suitable size, and in this tank andextending transversely across it is a housing 11 provided near one endwith a flooring 12, and above this is located an electric heater 13provided with a thermostat 14 of usual construction.

Opening out of the tank, opposite the heater and from within thehousing, is a pipe 15 ex tending to the burner of an oil heater (notshown). The amount of oil passing through the pipe 15 is greater thanthe amount consumed by the burner, and the remaining portion of the oilpasses through a return pipe 16 and is discharged through a nipple 17into the housing around the electric heater 13.

Oil is fed from a reservoir (not shown) through a pipe 18, through afilter 19, and thence to a pump 20 which discharges the contents througha delivery pipe 21 opening near the bottom of the tank 10.

In the tank is a float 22 connected with a chain 23 which passes over asprocket-wheel 24 and is provided at its opposite end with acounterweight 25, this sprocket-wheel operating a switch in a switchbox26 which controls the wires 27 and 28 to an electric motor 29 whichoperates the pump 20.

Preferably, the tank will be provided at its top with a hand-hole 30 andin the bottom of the tank will be a draining-opening 31 closed by ascrew-plug 32.

In operation, the oil being fed from the reservoir is filtered and drawnby the pump 20 and discharged through the pipe 21 into the bottom of thetank. The oil surrounding the heater in the housing is thereby heated,and when required at the burner, is drawn oil through the pipe 15, theunburned portion returning through the pipe 16 back into the housing 11around the electric heater 13, and this circulation will continue evenif oil is not being used at the burner, as a portion of it will returnfor reheating so as to maintain the oil at the desired temperature whichmay be regulated by the thermostat 14.

As oil is used, the float drops, operating the switch to start themotor, to operate the pump 20, and thus replace the amount of oilwithdrawn. As the float rises, the counterweight will cause the switchto move in the opposite direction so as to shut ofi the power of themotor. While the filter, switchbox, motor and pump are shown arrangeddirectly above the tank 10, they may be arranged at any convenientpoint.

Having thus described the operation in the use of oil, it is evidentthat the result will be the same in the use of water or other material.In other words, as water is drawn off from the heater, a certain amountof the water supplied toreplace the amount drawn on will return to beheated, and when water is not being drawn, a circulation will take placeso as to maintain the temperature of water in the housing withoutmaterially changing the temperature of the remaining liquid in the tank,although the water in the tank is heated to a certain extent byradiation from the housing.

For use with oil at gravity, the tank will be provided with the usualvent-pipe to the atmosphere.

I claim:

1. A circulating system comprising a tank, a transversely-arrangedhousing located in the tank, an electric heater in the housing, anoutlet from the housing and a return to the housing around the heater,and means for maintaining a predetermined level of fluid in the tank.

2. A circulating system comprising a tank, a transversely-arrangedhousing in the tank, the bottom of the housing at one end closed, aheater in the housing above said closed bottom, an outlet from thehousing, a return pipe connected therewith and discharging into thehousing around the heater, and means for maintaining a predeterminedlevel of fluid in the tank.

3. A circulating system comprising a tank, a transversely-arrangedhousing in the tank, the bottom of the housing at one end closed, aheater in the housing above said closed bottom, an outlet from thehousing opposite the heater, a return pipe connected therewith anddischarging into the housing around the heater, and means formaintaining a predetermined level of fluid in the tank, including afloat, a switch operated thereby, an electric motor connected with saidswitch, and a pump operated by said motor.

CALVIN L. MARTIN.

